Aune X1S 32Bit/384KHz DSD DAC Headphone Amplifier

 
Introduction:
 
Aune Audio has been making affordable audiophile products for quite a while now – They have a number of desktop DACs and amplifiers, and recently made an entry into the portable world with their new Aune B1, which has received incredible praise on its sound quality, among other things.
 
The Aune X1S is not the product of a guessing game, as many new products are nowadays – the Aune X1 family has seen 4 generations since 2008, and the X1S is the 5^th. Rather than jump around new products and hope one is good, Aune has persisted, revisioned, and improved on previous models to help make the sound and design the X1S has today. Each time, people have expected Aune to improve on already what is a great concept, and each time Aune has responded with a better item.
 
So the X1S isn’t “another” dac/amp – this is the product of tremendous work and time, and there is heavy pressure facing this product regarding expectations. So with that said, let’s begin!
 
Packaging & Accessories:
 
The packaging is nice enough – I noticed the same type of packaging on the Aune B1, and it is as good here as it was there. A simple, but elegant looking black box that has the Aune logo on the front and back, and specifications on the side.
 
When you take off the cover of the box, you are greeted by a foam cutout containing a few items. One of them is, of course, the X1S, as well as the power supply, USB cable, 3.5mm to 6.35mm converter, Aune card, and user manual USB. Yes, Aune puts the drivers, as well as the user manual, on a USB. I’d love to see more companies do that – a USB leaves a smaller footprint, and there’s more versatility as to what can be shown to the customer. Nobody likes booklets (at least I think so), and USB manuals, when done as well as here, can and should be better than paper manuals that are hard to navigate through. There are separate drivers for regular playback and DSD playback, but the USB comes with instructions, and installing the drivers is a breeze.
 
It’s important to note that the power supply is quite heavy – even heavier than the actual X1S itself. This is common though in desktop dac/amplifiers, and a heavy power supply isn’t a con in my book, at least when it comes to desktop applications. It's also important to note that the power "brick" is in the middle of the cable, not in the end. This is great because it doesn't put any stress on the wall plug itself, nor does it take up 2-3 outlets when it comes to space - all the heft is in middle of the cable, not at the plug
 
Overall, it's nice and simple – the X1S’s packaging is elegant enough to show that this is a quality product, yet it doesn’t burden you with unnecessary accessories. The user manual/drivers USB is a brilliant idea, and gets a big thumbs up from me.
 

 
Build Quality & Design:
 
Just from the pictures, it’s obvious that the latest installment of the X1S is the best-looking one, aesthetically. Gentle curves and the black matching knob/cover/case makes this one a winner for the workdesk – it looks professional, and has a smooth finish to it.
 
Getting past the looks though, this dac/amp is packed with connectivity options – it obviously has USB input, as talked about before, but it also has optical input, coaxial, and line in as well – all in the back, which is a relief. There’s an indicator on the front as to what input you are currently using, and a button to shuffle through the options if need be.
 
The volume knob turns very smoothly, but not loosely – if you knock into it by accident, it’s highly unlikely that you will turn up the volume. There’s a clear volume indicator on the knob to tell you where you are in terms of volume – you can’t miss it. The X1S’s power supply connects to what looks like a balanced input, and I have no complaints there either; and the USB connection isn’t entirely “tight” fitting, but isn’t loose either. Both cables are sturdy and well-made enough to last, from what I’m seeing, and connect to the back of the X1S. In terms of heat, the X1S runs warm, but never hot to the touch – leaving it as a great hand warmer, not hand burner  .
 
The body of the X1S is made of brushed metal, from what I can tell, and has rubber feet on the bottom to prevent scratching of the device. However, it’s pretty inconspicuous looking - it looks “simple” enough that you can leave it on your work desk or at home, and people won’t give it a second glance. The “footprint”, or how much space it takes, is less than what I previous imagined – length and width are 6.7 inches by 5.5 inches, respectively. Assuming that you’ll leave the power supply on the floor, that’s pretty small for an all-in-one desktop setup, and fits perfectly beside your laptop or computer screen, blending in with the rest of your computer.
 
Build quality? Design? The X1S is built sturdy enough to last, and is designed to blend in with whatever setup you have running – not to stick out like a sore audiophile thumb. It’s also small enough to work well on most sized desks, and the ease of use is excellent. The quarter inch adapter provided is used to connect your headphones to the quarter inch input on the front, next to the volume knob – very intuitive, and doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
 

 
Sound:
 
DAC/amps in general are really hard to label sonically, since it’s so easy to mix up the dac/amp’s sound signature with the headphone’s distinct sound tendencies.
So all my sound impressions of the X1S were done through (somewhat careful) listening tests with the AKG K7XX, Hifiman HE400S, and Beyerdynamic T90. Through what I’ve heard from these three headphones with reference equipment, I will try to use their differences to pinpoint the sound profile of the X1S as best as I can. But, as always, YMMV.
 
Since this is a DAC/amp, splitting up the sound section to its regular sections like I usually do would be extremely hard.
 
…but I’ll do it anyway, since I’m one heck of an idiot  . Here we go:
 
Bass: The bass of the X1S clearly shows the HE400S’s planar power – planars are known for better bass, and this is the first time that I’ve seen that so clearly. The X1S produces clean, neutral bass – too many amplifiers have a raised low end, so it’s good to see a product which keeps the bass neutral – leaving the quantity to the headphone.
 
I personally was used to the standard warm sound signature, and it took me a little time to get used to the X1S’s clean and natural bass. When paired with the K7XX, it seems cleaner than usual, and almost lacking bass – but this is all because of most amps’ nature to boost the bass. Even just over the course of today, I’ve quickly learned to appreciate the natural quality of the low end the X1S produces.
 
Make no mistake – the X1S is a audiophile oriented dac/amp, and the bass, as dead neutral, is a clear indicator of that.
 
At the end of the day, the low end displayed will rely solely on the headphone – if it has quality bass, you will hear it, clearly. The X1S is not going to “fix” your headphone – it will just bring out the best of what’s there.
 
Mids: Guitar sounds as good as it gets with a good pair of cans – full-sounding, robust, yet clear, detailed, and not overpowering. Piano recordings sound ALIVE with the T90, and do really well with the other two headphones too – better than they usually sound. I do find though that recordings that aren’t up to par (or not perfect, in some cases), the piano’s “airiness” sound (echo, etc.) becomes a bit bloated, and can be annoying at first. That’s due to the revealing nature of this dac/amp though, so it’s to be expected.
 
Vocals are not forward, but aren’t recessed either – vocal lovers like having voices close and personal, but I'm afraid the X1S is more audiophile-like than that – the vocals are perfectly placed, and are as forward or distant as the recording intended them to be. Rather than dominating the spectrum, vocals here tend to be a beautiful part of the spectrum, but only a part of the spectrum – not the whole thing.
 
Vocals are also insanely clear and detailed – but not as “full-sounding” as crazy vocal lovers might like. The vocals are neutral here, not boosted and not reduced – similar to the bass in this regard. Vocal inclined headphones like the HE400S and the HD650 should still shine in this regard – the X1S won’t limit the headphone for vocals, it just won’t add much flavor to it.
 
Highs: The upper end is neutral, leaning towards semi-bright – if you have a bright headphone, the X1S won’t fix it, but instead will correspond with its bright signature and copy it. So the rule of thumb here is that pair the X1S with a headphone that is excellent on its own, because the X1S won’t fix your headphone – it will just display what is given. The T90’s have some hot treble with these, which (I think) shows that there’s no roll-off, since by nature with an absolutely neutral amp the T90’s treble is a bit hot.
 
Violins are great, albeit dead neutral, and really really clean. Not sharper and not brighter (like most amps try to do to make the sound seem more “high-resolution”), but definitely cleaner and absolutely clearer than other sources I’ve tried. The same goes for drums; even with open-back headphones, it’s as clear and crispas the high end closed back headphones, which many open-back’s can’t seem to emulate properly.
 
Coloration: Absolutely none, or at the very most, extremely minimal. These will make your headphones sound the way they were supposed to, without adding or detracting from any part of the frequency.
 
Tonality: As neutral as it gets. Not warm by any means, but doesn’t seem cold either. The “warm-ness” or coldness will only come from your headphone, so while you may not get a dead-neutral sound, you will get the sound truest to the headphone your using.
 
Soundstage: One of my favorite things of the X1S – the soundstage is HUGE. I mean, it even makes the Beyer T90 sound like it has a large soundstage – and it doesn’t, believe me. Paired with the K7XX… well, let’s stop there.
 
If there’s anything that X1S does to influence the headphones that’s not there before, one thing that is obvious is that it opens up the soundstage by a massive amount. So open-back headphones that… don’t exactly sound so open, will greatly benefit from the X1S in this regard.
 
Imaging: Totally unreal – with decent headphones, I can pinpoint where everything is so clearly it’s absolutely insane. With mastered recordings, everything is so 3D-like it’s like a mini version of the HE-1000. Okay, maybe not, but you get my point.
 
Hiss: I’ve found hiss past the 3:00 mark on the volume knob, but considering that I never get past 11:00 on the knob, I doubt there will be any problem.
 
Detail: The detail amount is good, but doesn’t overburden you like more analytical sources do. The moderate amount of detail lets you relax to the music, while still getting a very audiophile-like sound – the best of both worlds.
 
Coherency & Immersion Factor:  Considering that this is an analytical DAC/amp, the coherency is excellent, and it's extremely easy to get "lost" in the music without even realizing it.
 
Clarity: This may not seem like much, but to me, this is what makes the X1S amazing. Why? Because it takes open-back headphones, and provides a sense of clarity and refinement that most would look for in a closed-back headphone. Open-back’s tend to lose some sense of clarity here and there, because due to their open nature, sound leaks out, and the “crystal clear” clarity is lost. The X1S takes that level of refinement, and brings it straight to almost any open headphone I’ve tried, all the meanwhile providing such a great soundstage and imaging that you’re literally taking the best of both worlds.
 
Reveal Factor: Very revealing – you will hear it if you aren’t listening to a well-recorded track. Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy poorly recorded songs, just that there’s a distinct difference between well mastered tracks and songs that aren’t so lucky. This is why many piano recordings don’t sound as great as other dac/amps I’ve tried: other equipment “cover up” the mistakes and quality of recording, while the X1S opens your eyes to what’s there. Chesky’s recordings sound as great as it gets, so if you have audiophile recordings, and/or DSD/SACD tracks, believe me, you’ll hear a difference with the X1S.
 
This is an audiophile level dac/amp indeed – paired with the T90, there’s a frighteningly accurate and absurdly detailed sound – you will hear what’s there, no more, no less.
 
As a Standalone Amplifier:
 
As a standalone amplifier hooked up to an external source, the amplifier part of the X1S does a pretty good job. It retains the imaging, reveal factor, and some of the said soundstage I’ve covered in the review. There isn’t much coloration, although I might be hearing a hint of warmth when only using the amplifier.
 
The real magic though comes into play when using the X1S’s DAC and amplifier together, so while it works well as a standalone amp, I would recommend using it primarily as a DAC/amp, and a standalone amp on the side.
 
Comparisons:
 
I haven't had much time with desktop DAC/Amps lately, but I will tell you though that I prefer this a lot more than the Schiit Modi/Magni 2 stack I've listened to for a while. It is also miles ahead of my Geek Out 1000 (which most people agree is better than the Objective2 stack as well). So all in all, the X1S are far better than the three main contenders in this price range. Frankly, the X1S destroys any portable DAC/Amp I've tried, including more expensive stuff too. So I think it's well justified for us to call it a "desktop" dac/amp, because it definitely lives up to that name. To break it down, these were my listening experiences with the equipment I had:
 
X1S > Schiit Modi 2 / Magni 2
X1S > Geek Out 1000
X1S > Objective2 stack
X1S > Tralucent DacAmp One
X1S > Oppo HA-2 (duh).
X1S > Cozoy Aegis
 
So all in all, I think it's pretty straightforward  
 
 
Value & Conclusion:
 
For less than $300, the Aune X1S is truly a desktop “solution” – I haven’t heard a clearer, wider sounding, neutral, and accurate DAC/amp at anywhere near this price range. As an all-in-one piece of gear, this complements any open-back headphone, and really shows you the true nature of what’s on your head.
 
Are you an aspiring audiophile on a budget? Good, because the X1S is exactly perfect for you. Not on a budget? No worries, you’ll enjoy the X1S anyway - whether you're technical or musical, the X1S offers the best of both, so no worries.
 
I can’t find a single “con” with the X1S, sound or otherwise, as much as I would have liked to. Let the X1S show you that you can get truly audiophile (yes, I mean it) sound at an extremely considerable price. So enjoy! I know I will… Buy me a ticket for the hype train, because I want to be the new conductor.